Change Agency
By Tabitha Ervin
Of Fort Wayne Ink Spot
I recently connected with one of Fort Wayne’s most dynamic duo, Daylana “Daisy” Saunders and Alisha Rauch, co-founders of ChangeMakers Fort Wayne.
Although the two have long backgrounds in civil rights and community advocacy, ChangeMakers grew out of last summer’s protests over the murder of George Floyd. Rather than let the momentum dwindle, the group has continued to take an active role in generating public protests and conversations about injustices and the need for more diversity in the public institutions in Fort Wayne.
Recently the group has supported the families and community affected by last month’s shooting deaths of Anderson Retic and Joshua Cole Cooper, both 19, by Joseph D. Bossard. A third victim, Jaylin Rice, 20, survived the attack. Bossard, 32, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder-an upgraded charge they have listed in their demands.
ChangeMakers is leading the petition to have Magistrate Lori K. Morgan appointed as the successor of Judge Charles Pratt who is retiring as the Allen Superior Court Judge of the Family Relations Division. Morgan, who has served 26 years in the division and is seeking the open seat on the court. (To read and sign the petition go to www.change.org/Lori_K_Morgan)
ChangeMakers is also looking at the specificity of protected groups within the state’s current Hate Crime legislation.
As I got to know them, I’m excited about their future and the outlook of their organization in our community.
Q: First tell me about yourselves?
Alisha: I was born and raised here in Fort Wayne. I am a mother of four black boys and I am currently supporting my sister's four kids, two of whom are boys as well. I am the co-founder of ChangeMakers and a member of the NAACP. I planned the original protest after George Floyd and have supported many other protests in the past in the city of Fort Wayne. This work is important to me because of my children and their future.
Daylana: I was born in Chicago, Illinois, and have been an outspoken leader and very connected to church my entire life. In 2005, my mother moved us here and we quickly connected to the city of churches, singing for various ministries including Chris Ford’s choirs and with our local sister group, The Chozen Few. I then attended IPFW for my bachelor’s in organizational leadership/business and Ball State for my graduate degree in secondary education. I left the area and went to Houston and Miami to teach when during the Obama administration. I returned to Fort Wayne during the Trump administration and the city had changed. I have always been interested in community advocacy for black and brown people, I knew it was time to get to work.
Q: So how did ChangeMakers come about?
Daylana: Well, first I was working to help get a testing site on the southeast side of town with Faith in Indiana as COVID-19 ramped up in March, and we were able to accomplish that. Then in May, George Floyd was murdered, and I had to immediately shift my focus. There was a small group of leaders connecting as the protests continued, and I was able to attend several crucial meetings. On the day of the Unity March (June 4), I decided to attempt to refocus the attention on a mutually beneficial approach by drafting a list of demands. The list consisted of a request for a sit-down with the Mayor.
Alisha: We were both at that meeting and we left on the same page with similar thoughts and interests about what direction we wanted to go in—the ChangeMakers. We wanted to further organize and build a sustainable movement. We wanted more than a protest group. The community needed more than that.
Daylana: We wanted the work to be sustainable and with real long-lasting impact. So, we had to dig a little deeper to create a hub, a safe space for the community where when injustices happen people have a place to turn. We wanted to make sure we as ChangeMakers were advocates, organizers and activists all together, depending on what’s needed at the time.
Q: What are the plans for the future?
Alisha: We always look at what’s going on in the community and what’s needed right now. The incident with the three young men shook our community to the core, and I personally have experienced a level of distrust and fear especially because I have sons.
Daylana: We also want to differentiate between situations and systems. We will need to focus on both. Situations will always arise and systems will always be in place. We will address them differently. Addressing systemic and structural racism will reduce the number of situations that need addressing.
Q: What do people need to know to support?
Daylana: Please email us at ChangeMakersFW@gmail.com And follow us on all social media platforms @ChangeMakersFW to support us and stay informed.
We need more community involvement. We want a wrap-around effort in Allen county. We want to collaborate with other organizations to address the needs of our community. If we all work in our areas of expertise we will be able to provide services in many areas.
Alisha: We post our updates online: signing petitions and attending strategy meetings would be helpful.
